The Department of Education (DepEd) on Friday, March 11 announced the Philippines’ participation in the 2022 cycle of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
In a virtual press briefing, Education Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan said that the decision of DepEd to join the PISA 2022 is aligned with “Sulong Edukalidad” --- the ongoing program of the department to improve education quality in the country.
Malaluan underscored the importance of system assessments such as PISA and DepEd’s National Achievement Test (NAT) providing the necessary “feedback to inform policy decisions and reforms for addressing education quality.”
In a separate statement, DepEd noted that as articulated in its Order No. 29, s. 2017 entitled “Policy Guidelines on System Assessment in the K to 12 Basic Education Program,” system assessments are implemented to establish baselines for the basic education system and the implementation of the K to 12 curriculum in schools in terms of teaching and learning and monitoring the implementation of the K to 12 curriculum in schools in terms of teaching and learning.
System assessments are also important to “measure the effectiveness of instructional reforms that are part of the K to 12 basic education program” and “generate reliable data for purposes of international benchmarking.”
DepEd added that system assessments also provide bases for the improvement of programs for learner development, curriculum implementation, and school effectiveness and evidence that will aid “policy formulation, planning, and programming at the division, regional, and national levels.”
Consistency in participation in assessment, Malaluan said, allows for “continuity of data for monitoring improvements and for identifying gaps” as well as areas of growth for basic education.
“We call on our partners and stakeholders to continue supporting our reforms and programs for advancing the quality of education in the country,” he said.
As DepEd prepares for the country’s participation in PISA 2022, Malaluan requested to allow its participating schools and students the “space and time to proceed with the assessment without undue distraction.”
DepEd, Malaluan said, shall provide further details on the conduct of PISA in the country after completion of the assessment in May 2022.